Numerous permanent magnet actuators, couplings and solenoid type motors have been advocated and built with the key objective of increasing the power output yield relative to the electrical power input, or magnetic advantage involved. Some of these devices consist of multiple permanent magnets which are shifted or revolved, mechanically or electrically, in such a way as to cause continuous rotation or reciprocation.
None of these various devices and arrangements have become commercially successful because of their generally low-speed/-torque output and relatively poor cost/effectiveness. Since all of these devices are essentially low speed/torque units they cannot nearly compete with conventional high speed electric motors which are reliable and effective for practically all electrical power applications. Since electric motors can easily be designed for all sorts of starting, load and environmental conditions they have naturally gained wide market acceptance. The development of a practical and low cost solenoid type of magnetic motor which is superior to the best electric motors is quite unlikely, as the rare earth/cobalt permanent magnetic components come into wide use for conventional electric motors.
Various types of permanent magnet, magnetic motors have been evolved with most of the designs based on reciprocating discs and linkage, with alternating shields used to make and break the respective magnetic fields. All of these known reciprocating units are impractical because of very short and non-linear power strokes, low natural speed and cyclic torque output. Some of the rotary types of permanent magnet "motors" being advocated are nothing more than magnetic couplings since there is no direct and continuous magnetic leverage or torque stepup involved in their geometry.
Any type of rotating magnetic geometry in which the driven member-wheel can also drive the other member-rotor can only have the value of a magnetic coupling since there is no torque increase with the important element of a backstop or pawl action present. To be practical, any magnetic torque multiplier using permanent magnets must provide both uniform attraction and replusion from high force magnets on a small diameter rotor to a large diameter magnetic segmented wheel. The small rotor should require a minimum of input torque and the large wheel should not capable of back-revolving the small driving rotor.
The magnetic couple described has a mechanical counterpart in the standard worm and worm wheel, where a high speed worm drives a low speed wheel, and not visa-versa. For a single pitch worm there is a complete backstopping action on the wheel and a high mechanical advantage is produced.
Using the principle of the worm and worm wheel, a practical magnetic torque multiplier is possible with attractive prospects for a useful torque stepup due to alternate attraction and repulsion between the opposite magnetic segments, although the magnet sets are revolving at nearly right angles to each other, or exactly so.
When a permanent magnet, magnetic torque multiplier is arranged in this manner, with a small rare earth/cobalt magnetic rotor revolving at a right angle to a large segmented rare-earth/cobalt magnetic wheel, and in-line with the plane of the wheel, then the geometry is attractive for achieving a practical magnetic torque multiplication unit. It is desirable to keep the magnet segment spacing close on the large wheel so that the the multiple magnets on the small driving helical rotor can displace the wheel magnet segments in small increments with a corresponding large magnetic force between the opposite magnet sets.
A magnetic torque multiplier differs from the concept of a magnetic motor in regard to a self-starting feature and input torque. A magnetic torque multiplier always requires a continuous input torque for the small driving rotor, while a magnetic motor should always be self-starting with continuous self-sustained operation.
The ideal magnetic torque multiplier provides a sizable and useful torque step-up at the large wheel based on the magnitude of the magnetic force between the opposite permanent magnet sets on each of the two revolving components. An added advantage for this manner of magnetic force transfer using individual, opposite magnetic segments is that no friction is imposed between the two components as in the case of the mechanical contacting worm and worm wheel counterparts. The helical magnetic rotor can run at high speed without surface contact, with a reduced-from-normal rated input torque due to alternating attraction and repulsion of the driven magnetic wheel acting on the rotor magnet segments. It is most desirable to use large and powerful rare earth/cobalt permanent magnets for both opposite sets of magnetic components to achieve a large torque output differential between the driver and driven shafts.
The major difference between this present magnetic torque multiplier--(M.T.M.) and the prior magnetic torque converter,--(M.T.C.) is that a second, lower series of permanent magnet segments have been added to the wheel, as necessary second repulsion phase for the driving rotor magnets in addition to the primary attraction phase. It is most important that the magnet segments have a uniform magnetic force, plus coercive force so that the torque input and output is smooth and continuous, without any choppy and erratic rotation.
There are several important power applications waiting to be filled with effective, high-power magnetic torque multipliers such as auxiliary home power supplies, and practical, low-cost electric vehicles. At the present time the progress in the development of practical electric vehicles is greatly impeded by lack of long-life, low-cost electric batteries. A high power-magnetic torque multiplier can bridge the gap caused by ineffective present batteries by providing a useful power step-up from current batteries to the electric drive motor of the vehicle, to improve overall electric vehicle operation and operating economics.